Blue Ridge Justice

Chapter One

The wide-open roar of the motorcycle made the quiet street a madhouse of sound. Rad Childers clung to the handles of the sidecar, which was attached to this maniac machine, as if his life depended on it, and it did. Rabbit Tankers, goggles pulled down snugly over his eyes, focused on the approaching curve. Actually, it was a dead end with only a small path leading off to the left. Ahead, the culprits were barely visible in the cloud of dust left by their battered Model-T as they raced to escape the long arm of Rabbit and Rad, the fledgling detective force of this small town on the bank of the James River.

Rad, a solid one hundred and ninety pounds on a six-foot frame, had been on the police force for nineteen years. He had followed in his father's career, which had been cut short after fourteen years. He was killed in the line of duty when Rad was only a young patrolman. Now Rad was one of two detectives on the active force of a small, hilly Virginia town nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
In fact, Hill City got its name for being perched on seven hills beside the mighty James River. Many said it was like Rome, built on seven hills, although the similarity certainly stopped right there.
  Rabbit, a close friend, and also a longtime member of the police force, was the second member of this two-man detective squad. He appeared stocky in his five foot six inch stature, which belied the bundled energy surging in his powerful body. It became a well-known fact when they were new on the force, Rabbit would chase the criminals down and Rad would lock them up. At least that's the way most of the stories went. Sometimes things turned out a slight bit differently. This was one of those times.

The morning had started out to resemble any normal late spring day in this part of the country. There were some wispy clouds in the eastern sky, but they didn't deter the promised warmth of the sun as it slowly rose to herald the new day.
    Rabbit and Rad had met for breakfast at their longtime feeding place, Old T's, across from the Academy Theater. Old T's did most of their business during the evening performances of the theater, especially during the breaks between play acts. Every man in the theater would come across the street for a short beer or something else a bit stronger. Old T had rigged a bell in the bar area set to ring one minute before the next curtain was scheduled to go up. Didn't want the ladies to be by themselves during the first part of the next act or their men would have a hard time getting back for another libation during the next intermission.
  Not everyone could get breakfast at Old T's, only those chosen few, and most of those were members of the police force. An occasional judge would be in attendance, but usually they didn't get up so early in the day.
Rabbit and Rad had departed for headquarters after three cups of coffee. They were strolling down Main Street, ambling past the various shops and stores, which weren't open at such an early hour. The clock on the bank showed the time to be six-forty. They knew every shop owner and were well known by them as keepers of the law. Many of these owners owed their well-being to these two officers. They were responsible for the apprehension of more than one thief trying to pilfer goods from many of these Main Street businesses. Most of the crimes had been in the category listed as minor, but it did give the merchants a feeling of having the law enforcement agency of Hill City on its toes.
  Rabbit slowed and looked at his partner. "Rad, I'm still not used to these civilian duds. They make me feel like I'm not on the force anymore. You sure this is the way we need to dress to do our job?"